Investigators from the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) have arrested Alejandro Dominguez De La Peña following surveillance at a local emissions testing station. The arrest on February 28, 2024, was part of an investigation into a fraud scheme involving emissions tests.
De La Peña, 26, was apprehended while driving a customer’s vehicle to a smog station to obtain a passing test for a vehicle that could not pass the state’s emissions test. It is alleged that he used an emulation device to manipulate testing equipment into providing false results for vehicles that were either illegally modified or unable to pass legitimately. In an attempt to hide the emulator from investigators, De La Peña reportedly concealed it in his six-year-old brother’s pants.
Recent updates to the DMV’s Vehicle Identification Database allowed officers to use real-time fraud detection techniques. This technology enabled them to geolocate the testing station and seize both De La Peña and the vehicle involved in the scheme.
The garage employing De La Peña and the emissions station implicated in this incident face potential fines and may have their licenses permanently revoked.
“Emissions fraud hurts everyone equally by contributing to poor air quality,” stated J.D. Decker, chief of the DMV’s Compliance Enforcement Division. “Vehicles on our roads which can’t pass emissions tests or obtain valid registrations are often found to also lack insurance or pose a safety hazard to other motorists, putting everyone at risk.”
De La Peña has been booked into Clark County Detention Center with charges including Forgery, Destroying/Concealing Evidence, Violating Vehicle Emission Laws/Regulations, and Make/Issue/Use Counterfeit Evidence of Compliance.
The DMV’s Compliance Enforcement Division handles violations by dealers, repair garages, emissions stations, driving schools, or any other businesses licensed with the DMV. Thanks to improvements under their Department Transportation Effort initiative, investigators can now begin work on cases more swiftly than before.
For those wishing to file complaints online, please visit the Compliance Enforcement Division web page.
